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Asian palm weevil vision: the science and the numbers

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus · order Coleoptera · Insects: all the numbers

The Asian palm weevil has four colour channels, including ultraviolet (366, 521, 537 and 564 nm).[1] Its sharpest vision resolves 0.33 cycles per degree, against 63.75 for people in this dataset.[6] The Asian palm weevil stops seeing flicker at 100 Hz, against 60 Hz for people.[28]

See it on your photoBack to How does the Asian palm weevil see?
  • 4colour receptor classesMeasured
  • 0.33cycles per degree (sharpness)Measured
  • 100hertz flicker fusion (motion)Measured

The Asian palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is an insect in the order Coleoptera. Its eyes belong to the vision type Bee, ant and locust UV trichromat: three receptor types (ultraviolet, blue and green, no red), a low-resolution compound eye and fast motion vision. Measured in this species: colour, sharpness and motion (flicker fusion). Measured core: measured values on at least 3 of the 6 dials.

This is a simulation built from published eye measurements, not what the animal experiences.

Method: How we know what animals see (the See Like Animals vision engine) · Sources · Last updated . Every value below carries its evidence level and sources; nothing is typed by hand.

What the Asian palm weevil sees: colour receptors

Asian palm weevil colour receptor peaks, 300 to 700 nmAsian palm weevil: 4 receptor peaks at 366, 521, 537, 564 nm; you: 3 at 421.5, 532, 558.4 nm. ultraviolet300400500600700
Asian palm weevil: 366, 521, 537, 564 nmPeople: 421.5, 532, 558.4 nmWavelength in nanometres

What stands out

  • It has 4 colour receptor classes, including ultraviolet; people have 3.
  • Its sharpest vision resolves 0.33 cycles per degree: the finest stripe pattern it can tell apart from grey.
  • It stops seeing flicker at 100 Hz, against 60 Hz for people in this dataset, so fast motion looks about 1.7 times slower to it.[29][30]

The six dials

Evidence levels: how the tiers work. "Measured" means a value measured in this species; "Estimated" values come from a close relative or an eye-size formula. The last column gives the values for people from the same catalogue.

Vision values for the Asian palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), catalogue-v1
DialValueEvidenceSourcesPeople
ColourColour receptors
4 receptor classes: 366 nm (UVS), 521 nm (MWS (green)), 537 nm (MWS (green)), 564 nm (LWS (long))
measured in this species
Measured[1]Colour receptors: 3 receptor classes: 421.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 532 nm (MWS (green)), 558.4 nm (LWS (long)) Measured (not re-verified)[2][3][4][5]
Ultraviolet
yes: at least one receptor peaks in the ultraviolet		Measured
SharpnessAcuity
0.33 cycles per degree
median of 1 compilation rows (method priority rule)
Measured[6]Acuity: 63.75 cycles per degree Measured[7][8]
Angle between facets
3.27°
median of 13 relatives in order Coleoptera: Anoplognathus pallidicollis, Cicindela hybrida, Cantharis livida, Photuris versicolor, Onitis alexis, Coccinella septempunctata
Group default[9]
Eye type
compound eye
Field of viewNo value in the catalogue.Binocular overlap: 122.5° Measured[10][11]
Total field of view: 200° Measured (not re-verified)[12]
Blind area behind the head: 160° Derived[12]
Eye placement: frontal Derived[10][11]
Sharp zones (foveas)Number of foveas
0
median of 91 relatives in class Insecta: Empis prodromus, Rhamphomyia albidiventris, Rhamphomyia breviventris, Rhamphomyia maculipennis, Rhamphomyia marginata, Rhamphomyia murina
Group default[13]Number of foveas: 1 Measured[14]
Fovea type: fovea Measured[14]
Fovea type
none		Group default[13]
Night visionActivity pattern
diurnal
group default: mode of tier-A values in vision type the "Bee, ant and locust UV trichromat" type within phylum Arthropoda (92 species: Apis mellifera, Bombus terrestris, Cataglyphis bicolor, Bombus impatiens…
Group default[15][16][2][17]Activity pattern: diurnal Measured (not re-verified)[18][19][20][2][21][22][23][24]
Pupil shape: vertical Group default[25][26]
Reflective layer (tapetum): no Measured[27]
Rods vs cones: cone-dominated Derived[18][19][20][2][21][22][23][24]
Rods vs cones
no rods (invertebrate photoreceptors)		Group default[15][16][2][17]
Motion (flicker fusion)Flicker fusion frequency
100 Hz
median of 1 rows (no bright-light flag) (behavioural/whole-eye ERG rows; all rows: [100.0])
Measured[28]Flicker fusion frequency: 60 Hz Measured[29][30]

All insects side by side: Insects: every measurement. Method: how we know what animals see.

Sources

  1. van der Kooi CJ, Stavenga DG… 2021
  2. Longcore 2023
  3. Kirwan
  4. Müller et al. 2009
  5. Thermal Activation and Photoactivation of Visual… 2004
  6. Feller et al. 2021
  7. Kirk et al. 2004
  8. Veilleux et al. 2014
  9. Caves et al. 2018
  10. Heesy 2004
  11. Heffner et al. 1992
  12. Campbell & Green 1965
  13. Comparative data for dance fly eye…
  14. Kopania et al. 2025
  15. Johnson et al. 2022
  16. Feuda et al. 2016
  17. Meiri 2024. SquamBase: a database of…
  18. Anderson et al. 2017
  19. Borges et al. 2018
  20. Wilman et al. 2014
  21. Maor et al. 2017
  22. Jones et al. 2009
  23. Schmitz et al. 2011
  24. Moura et al. 2024
  25. Banks et al. 2015
  26. Cervino et al. 2021
  27. Guareschi et al. 2025
  28. Haarlem et al. 2026
  29. Healy et al. 2013
  30. Inger et al. 2014

Every value cites its sources (all sources). Values were extracted from these works and converted (units, medians, derived values); changes are ours, and the listed sources do not endorse this site. Data: catalogue-v1, built 2026-09-29. Accuracy notes: how accurate is this? Method: how we know.